Chapter 5 - Congressional National
Security Powers
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How was the country different in 1800 from today as
regards the relative power of congress versus the
president to wage war?
What resources did the president have available then and
now?
How does this affect the basic shift of powers?
Would the Iraq war have played out differently if congress
had to appropriate money to raise an army, then declare
war?
 Why would appropriating the money really matter?
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Declaration of War
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Procedurally, how does congress declare war?
Is the presentment clause involved?
Can the president veto a declaration of war?
What if the president disagrees - can he refuse to
fight the war?
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When is the War Over?
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Is there a constitutional provision for ending a
declared war?
 If it is by treaty, what is the role of Congress?
What if the president just quits fighting the war?
 When would the contingent authority and
international law dominos revert to a pre-war
state?
Did we sign a peace treaty in Viet Nam?
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The Legal Domino Effects of War
Example 1
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Alien Enemy Act, 50 U.S.C.
 §21 (2000), ‘‘whenever there is a declared war
between the United States and any foreign
nation or government,’’ citizens of ‘‘the hostile
nation or government’ ’who are at least 14
years old and not naturalized are subject to
summary arrest, internment, and deportation
when the President so proclaims.
How would this work in the war on terrorism?
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The Legal Domino Effects of War
Example 2
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Trading With the Enemy Act, 50 U.S.C. App. §§1-44 (2000)
 enables the President to regulate or prohibit
commerce with an enemy state or its citizens after
‘‘Congress has declared war or the existence of a state
of war.’’ And the President may authorize electronic
surveillance, physical searches, and the use of pen
registers and trap and trace devices to acquire foreign
intelligence without a court order for up to 15 days
‘‘following a declaration of war by Congress.’’
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Brown v. US, 12 US 110 (1814)
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Did the declaration of war allow the president to
seize British property held in the US (trees)?
Is seizing property and land recognized as part of
the traditional war powers recognized by the law
of nations at that time?
 The UN has changed all this
What if the forest was seized as a strategic
objective during a battle?
 How is holding it different from keeping it?
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Bas v. Ting, 4 US 37 (1800)
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What are the facts?
What did the lower court award Captain Tingy?
What did the 1799 law require ship owners to pay
if a ship was recaptured?
 Why the variable scale?
What was necessary to trigger the 1799 law?
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Was there a War?
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What is a solemn or perfect war?
Was there a declaration of war with France?
Were we at peace with France?
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What war-like actions did we take?
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Evidence of a State of War
 1st. To resist the search of a French public
vessel:
 2d. To capture any vessel that should attempt,
by force, to compel submission to a search:
 3d. To re-capture any American vessel seized
by a French vessel: and
 4th. To capture any French armed vessel
wherever found on the high seas.
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Imperfect War
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What is an imperfect war?
How do you know you are in an imperfect war?
Does an imperfect war create a legal enemy?
Does this trigger the 1799 act?
Does the Captain get to keep his 1/2?
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The Authorization of Force after 9/11
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...use all necessary and appropriate force against
those nations, organizations, or persons he
determines planned, authorized, committed, or
aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on
September 11, 2001, or harbored such
organizations, or persons, in order to prevent any
future acts of international terrorism against the
United States by such nations, organizations or
persons. [Pub. L. No. 107-40, §2(a), 115 Stat. 224
(2001).]
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What is the effect of this Authorization?
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Did Congress declare war on al Quada?
Can congress declare a war on an enterprise,
rather than a country?
How does the war on terror differ from previous
declarations of war?
Should such a declaration trigger the usual war
measures, including international law issues?
What is the vagueness problem for foreign
countries and their citizens?
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Lichter v. US, 334 US 742 (1948)
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What was the purpose of the Renegotiation Act?
What constitutional clause authorized it?
How is the Renegotiation act like the selective
service act?
 What is the selective service?
 Got your draft card?
What advantages do the merchants have over the
draftees?
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Legal Issues
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What was the delegation theory attack on the law?
What is the takings argument on excess profits?
 How is the modified by the "raise armies" and "take care
clauses"?
 What did Justice Hughes tell us in his address, ‘‘War Powers
Under The Constitution, about construing the Constitution in
the face of conflicts?
How did the court rule?
Is the argument different for state laws, where there is no US
Constitutional provisions that modify the takings clause?
 What about modern price gouging laws?
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Greene v. McElroy 360 US 474 (1959) - 105
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What happened to plaintiff?
What are the new property cases?
Is this a new property case?
What is the due process problem?
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Legal Issues
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What is plaintiff's claim that there is no authority
for this action?
 Is the procedure specified in a statute?
 Why does congressional ratification based on
funding the procurements fail?
What is the court dodging?
 Would plaintiff's firing without due process be
constitutional if it was authorized?
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The Scope of Congressional War Powers
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...control the price of every commodity bought and sold within the
national boundaries; to fix the amount of rent to be charged for
every room, home, or building and this even though to an
individual landlord there may be less than a fair return; to
construct extensive systems of public works; to operate railroads;
to prohibit the sale of liquor; to restrict freedom of speech in a
manner that would be unwarranted in time of peace; to ration and
allocate the distribution of every commodity important to the war
effort; to restrict the personal freedom of American citizens by
curfew orders and the designation of areas of exclusion; and,
finally, to demand of every citizen that he serve in the armed forces
of the nation.
Spaulding v. Douglas Aircraft Co., 154 F.2d 419, 422-423 (9th Cir.
1946)
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Stopped here
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Limits on Delegation: Skinner v. MidAmerica Pipeline Co., 490 U.S. 212 (1989)
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We discern nothing in this placement of the Taxing
clause that would distinguish Congress’ power to tax
from its other enumerated powers—such as its
commerce power, its power to ‘‘raise and support
Armies,’’ its power to borrow money, or its power to
‘‘make Rules for the government’’—in terms of the
scope and degree of discretionary authority that
Congress may delegate to the Executive in order that
the President may ‘‘take Care that the Laws be
faithfully executed.’’
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Making Sense of Delegation Cases
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The authors of the text raise many theoretical questions
about the extent of Congressional power to delegate war
powers to the president.
 This is wishful thinking, the court has not upheld a
constitutional challenge on delegation grounds since
1936.
The standard now is whether Congress has given enough
direction so that the court can review the president's or
the agency's actions.
 If not, the court will find that the delegation fails to
transfer the power, not that it is unconstitutional.
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Appropriations as Evidence of
Authorization for Executive Actions
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How do you argue that an appropriation bill is also an
authorization bill for specific executive powers?
Why does the modern budget process undermine this
assumption?
What do you look to in the appropriations bill to support
an authorization argument?
Impoundment - what if the president disagrees with an
action of congress and just refuses to spend the money?
 What has the United States Supreme Court said about
impoundments?
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Congressional Limits through
Appropriations
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Spaulding v. Douglas Aircraft (1945)
 Congress in making appropriations has the power and
authority not only to designate the purpose of the
appropriation, but also the terms and conditions under which
the executive department . . . may expend such appropriations.
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 The purpose of appropriations, the terms and conditions under
which said appropriations were made, is a matter solely in the
hands of Congress and it is the plain and explicit duty of the
executive branch . . . to comply with the same.
Given Chevron, why are limits on appropriations more effective
than direct legislation on agency authority?
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